Non-destructive dodging and burning in Photoshop. Simple Secrets to Dodging and Burning in Photoshop
Many photography enthusiasts have encountered a problem when, due to incorrect or insufficient lighting, or other factors, a photo with a wonderful angle and view turns out to be too dark. And it would seem that the photo is very good, but the dark area spoils everything. And the dilemma arises: how to lighten photos in Photoshop, clothes and fix the problem?
The first way to lighten a photo
First you need to create a duplicate of the original image layer using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+J. Then in the top menu, select the “Image” tab and go to the “Correction” section. In the drop-down list we find the command “Levels...”. When you click on this button, you will see a graph, and in the Channel field you need to select “Red”. Then we move the slider on the horizontal line of the graph until the elevation begins. We perform the same actions with the blue and green channels. After completing all manipulations, click OK.
You can already see that the photo has become much lighter.
Afterwards, go back to the “Image” - “Correction” tab, but now select the “Exposure...” command. In the dialog box you will have three columns with sliders. The first “Exposure” is responsible for lightening - dark/light. The second “Shift” reduces or adds contrast, the third “Gamma Correction” also adjusts the lightening or darkening of the photo. You can move the sliders in different directions to make the best option for you. When you achieve the desired effect, click OK. The photo is ready!
The second option is image correction
One of the options for making a photo lighter in Photoshop is to use the Shadow/Highlights or Shadows/Highlights function. To use it, you need to create a duplicate layer using the Ctrl+J keys. Next, the newly created layer must be converted into a smart object. To do this, right-click on the top layer and select the “Convert to Smart Object” command. In the English version of the program, the command sounds like Convert to Smart-Object.
Transforming the layer must be done to change the adjustment settings at any time, that is, in this way you create the basis of an indestructible editing system. Now you can apply the Shadow/Highlight command to the transformed object. As a result, you will get a noticeably brightened image. If you wish, you can always change the lightening settings.
But situations arise when it is not possible to change a photo using one command. In this case, you need to duplicate the layer on which the smart object is located, then change the blend mode to Screen.
Now you can start adjusting the contrast, since after “forced” lightening the image is of dull, dim colors, for example, of clothes. And it can be done.
First you need to create a layer Levels. Layer settings are selected individually for each photo. Now you can correct the colors. Create another adjustment layer Vibration/Vibrance. Or, when using an older version of the program - Hue - Saturation. Settings are also determined individually according to the image “by eye”.
After applying the changes, you may notice that the image quality has noticeably improved and the colors have become more saturated. Finally, you can apply a Curves adjustment layer with the Multiplay blending mode. Set the photo to a small opacity setting, about 20–30%. Now you can compare the original image and the finished, corrected version and see how easy it is to lighten a photo in Photoshop.
The third way is to add rays of light
Sometimes, in order to lighten a photo, you don’t need to resort to various tricks, which often affect the quality of the image. You can get creative if you know how to make rays of light in Photoshop. This way you can lighten clothes, create a beautiful landscape, or add brightness and light to a wedding photo.
As with the other options, the first step is to make a duplicate of the original background. Then go to the “Filter” menu, select the “Blur” - “Radial Blur” command. In the window, select the “Linear” option, set the maximum intensity and use the mouse to move the center of the blur to where the light source should be, from which the rays will depart. Click "Ok". Then repeat the effect using the Ctrl+F keys.
Go back to the layers panel and change the blending mode of the top one to “Screen”. We return to the layers palette and apply a mask to the same layer. This is necessary in order to hide some of the rays so that they are not too obvious and do not completely cover the image. Then select “Gradient Fill” in the toolbar, select the standard option in its settings - from black to transparent white, apply the selected settings.
Now, while wearing a mask, draw a gradient across the image, erasing some of the rays. At the same time, at the top, make sure once again that the gradient type is selected “Linear”.
The next action is to right-click on the mask and select “Apply layer mask”. Afterwards you can blur the resulting rays a little. To do this, use the command “Filter” - “Blur” - “Gaussian Blur”. Set the “Blur unit” parameter to “Ok”. Then lower the transparency level in the layers panel to about 90%. Now use the Ctrl+E keys to merge both layers.
The rays of light are almost ready, let's return the image to sharpness. To do this, duplicate the layer, go to the menu “Filter” - “Sharpening” - “Smart Sharpening...”. Set the Effect “by eye” parameter, radius - 2 pixels, click OK.
So, sunlight in the form of rays is added. Your image sparkles with new colors.
In previous versions of Photoshop, when we needed to lighten and darken part of an image, we had to create a selection, masks, change blending modes, work with a brush with varying degrees of hardness and transparency, etc. and so on. But with the release of Photoshop CS5, everything has become much easier. Now we can use the “Dodge” (“Clarifier”) and “Burn” (“Dimmer”) tools, which were previously used very rarely because of their not very correct operation, which created many problems for working in the Photoshop program. Luckily, Adobe has made a major update to these tools that completely solve the problem, and the Dodge and Burn tools can now be safely used to brighten and darken different parts of an image.
In this very simple tutorial on working with photoshop We will learn how to very quickly darken and lighten a photo in Photoshop.
Similar lessons:
- A simple way to brighten a photo
Let's open the original image. My idea is this: I want to lighten the ancient tower in the mountains, and darken the mountains and sky. As a result, when viewing this photo, your eyes will automatically be “riveted” to the main subject of the photo - the tower.
We will do the lightening and darkening on different layers, so that after making changes to the picture, we can adjust the effect introduced by reducing the opacity of the layer. Let's create the first duplicate layer - Ctrl+J.
Select the Dodge tool (O), set the midtone range and exposure to about 30-50%. Please note that when working with a portrait, the exposure value must be further reduced by two or three times. Zoom in on the image - Ctrl + "+ ".
By adjusting the brush size using square brackets "[" and "]" we paint over the tower. Please note that you must hold down the mouse button while painting because the tools "Dodge"("Clarifier") and "Burn"("Blackout") have an incremental effect - each time you release the mouse button and start painting again, the amount of lightening (or darkening) increases. This is what I got after working on the tower with a brush.
Now select the “Dimmer” tool (O) with the same parameters as before. Don’t forget to check the “Protect tones” checkbox, it is this parameter that ensures the high-quality operation of these tools.
Ctrl+J . We will darken it.
Increase the brush size and paint the area around the tower. Remember - as long as the mouse button is pressed, shading provides one level of brightness. Release the mouse button, then click and paint the same area, and the initial brightness will increase, and so on. This is what happened.
Compare the before and after image of the ancient tower photo processing in photoshop.
If you look closely at some photo albums, you'll see that many photographers use vignetting to darken the corners of their photos while leaving the center of the photo lighter. Why do they use this technique? The answer is quite simple. If you look at photographs, you will notice that the eye is first drawn to the lighter areas of the photo, and only then the eye moves to the darker elements. Vignetting helps direct the eye from the edge of the frame to the center of the composition and, thus, put a certain emphasis on the main thing in the photograph. This is the easiest way to draw the viewer's attention to the most important thing in the photo and make it expressive. In addition to vignetting, there are more effective ways to lighten and darken certain areas of your photos using Photoshop. Let's look at an example in which the photograph has already been processed.
The photo shows Punchbowl Falls located in the Portland, Oregon area. Here the first step is to lighten the majestic stream of water that roars into the stream and grows into light ripples in the foreground, and to darken the abundant vegetation around it. To draw the viewer's attention to this particular part of the photograph, a technique based on subtle calculations was used to lighten and darken.
The areas of the image highlighted in red were lightened, and the blue areas were darkened. The part of the image highlighted in yellow was not processed, since it was already quite light. significantly increased the visual impact of the photograph. This was done as follows. After uploading the photo, the first thing to do was add a new layer. To add a new layer, you need to hold down the Alt key and at the same time click on the create a new layer icon at the bottom of the layers palette. In the dialog box that opens, the function is selected Lightening and Darkening(dodge and burn) and the blending mode is changed to "soft light" ( Soft Light). Next, check the “fill” box and set the gray color to 50%.
Then take the Brush tool with soft edges. Set the opacity to 4-8%. If you set the brush to white, it will work in dodge mode. If you set the color to black, then it will work in dimming mode. Use a low opacity value to make it easier to control the process. Use the brush to work on selected areas of the photo, lightening or darkening them. Keep in mind what you want to highlight in the photo and apply your brush strokes accordingly.
Some Photoshop experts may ask, why make it so complicated? After all, you can lighten and darken the desired areas of the photo separately on different layers. It’s hard to argue with them here, but this technique involves working with just one layer and allows you to avoid overexerting the program. In addition, if it turns out that some areas of the photo are too dark or light, you can easily correct them on the same layer.
If you still go too far, you can always reduce the transparency of the layer itself and create a soft transition of colors between individual parts of the photo. To do this you need to select Filter->Blur-> (filter->blur->Gaussian blur) and set the blur radius somewhere around 10-30 pixels. This filter guarantees a soft and imperceptible transition of colors in the picture.
The above method can even be used to correct portrait photographs, in order, for example, to emphasize cheekbones, forehead line, emphasize hair, etc. When working with portraits, the radius of Gaussian blur settings should be significantly larger than in landscape photography, and can reach 30 pixels. Below are several photographs that were corrected in a similar way.
Now you know another method for correcting photographs. Use it to enhance drama, create mood, or simply de-emphasize some distracting elements in your photos.
In Photoshop, you need to start working with tone. In this article we will talk about changes in tone, meaning darkening and brightening the frame. This does not apply to changes in color tone or shade.
From previous Photosearch materials, you learned that all darkening or lightening can be done most efficiently by working in a converter with a raw file. The fact is that the raw format contains all the information that will allow you to change the brightness components of the image with minimal losses. And for local transformations, it is best to work with the Photoshop converter, with its masks and layers.
This problem is often solved using “multi-export”: in the most convenient converter (CaptureOne, Lightroom, etc.) several versions of the processed photo are created with different degrees of brightness. Next, the image is exported to .psd or .tiff, all its variants are accumulated in Photoshop as layers. Now you can work with masks, making local corrections.
We will offer you a less resource-intensive and more effective method.
Let's start working with a raw file using the ACR (Adobe Camera RAW) plugin. If you are used to processing images using the tools of certain converters (such as Lightroom), then you can continue. To do this, you just need to save the files in DNG format and continue working with the DNG files.
Let's start retouching the photo. First, let's open a raw file of a certain image as a smart object. You need to hold down the Shift key before clicking the "Open..." button in the ACR window. This is done to replace the name of the “Open image” button with “Open object”:
In this case, we get a layer containing a smart object, as evidenced by the icon in the corner of the menu.
For the retoucher, this means that the ACR image can be edited many times, returning to the original file. It will not lose quality. To change all the parameters as needed, you can double-click on it to open the ACR window.
The overall brightness of the picture will be determined by the bottom layer. Sometimes the brightness of a picture can be difficult to assess. We recommend that you reduce it to the size of a small preview. In the ACR window, you can change the photo scale using the “ctrl+” and “ctrl-” keys. In many cases, it is the small size that helps to see the lack or excess of brightness.
In the proposed version, it is clear that the original needs to be made brighter. By moving the Exposure slider by one third of a stop, we obtain sufficient brightness.
Let's return to the main Photoshop window by clicking "OK". It's time for local changes. We have to lighten or darken certain areas of the photo.
We remember that the lighter areas of the image primarily attract the viewer's attention. This is a characteristic of the psychophysiology of our vision. When looking at any image, we move from lighter to darker areas.
It follows from this that when processing a photo, the so-called “semantic centers” need to be brightened against the general background. Leave bright areas where you want to hold the viewer's attention. If you neglect this rule, you will inevitably cause a state of mental discomfort in the viewer. A logically important area will constantly elude attention, pulling the gaze to the periphery. When processing a black and white photo, this nuance is most noticeable.
If you are processing a portrait, then you only need to slightly lighten the model’s face. The rest of the image can be slightly darkened. The frame will look much better.
In our example, the girl’s face is far from the brightest place in the portrait. A lighter dress attracts attention. An overly active background also attracts attention. We will now begin to correct these shortcomings.
To change the photo, let's select individual areas that we will adjust and create for each of them its own layer, which will contain the same smart object. Right-click on the layer you need and select “New Smart Object via Copy” from the menu that appears. Many people think that they can simplify the task by pressing “Ctrl+J”. This is a mistake: you will create another layer with the same object!
In our photo retouching example, let's create new layers for the model's skin, her dress, and the background of the composition:
This will allow us to open each ACR layer with a double click and work with its tone. We suggest changing the tone using tone curves. In the corresponding menu we see sliders:
. Highlights
. Lights
. Darks
. Shadows.
With their help, we will lighten or darken light and dark, medium-light and medium-dark areas of the photo:
Now let's make visible the area of each layer that we will work with. To do this, we use a regular mask. Let us remind you that using smart objects will allow you to return to ACR and adjust the parameters after creating the mask. This can be done at any stage of processing.
The results of our work will look something like this:
Now the model does not blend into the background, the viewer’s gaze is immediately fixed on the face. A lighter dress is also less distracting.
That's the minimum. If you want to do more, work on other, less significant areas. For example, volume can be added to a composition. Work on your hair by lightening or darkening individual strands. We will not go deeper into this now, the main thing is to outline the principle of operation. While you consolidate your skills, experiment!
Working with contrast.
Having worked with the distribution of tones in a photograph and obtained a good result, we will learn how to adjust the overall contrast of the image.
Let's start with the simplest and very effective way to change contrast when processing photos.
1. Create a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer.
2. Discolor the image. To do this, in the “Properties” window, set the “Saturation” slider to “0”.
3. In the adjustment layer, change the blending mode to Soft Light.
You will immediately see that the contrast has increased dramatically.
4. To soften the effect of step 3, lower the Opacity value for the adjustment layer. In our case, 20% is enough.
But there is another way to increase contrast. It's a little more complicated, but the result is less spontaneous. So that you immediately understand what we are talking about, let us explain: this method is similar to the one just described, but here we do not desaturate the image, but use a channel mixer. So:
1. Using the Channel Mixer, create an adjustment layer.
2. Check the box for “Monochrome” in the “Properties” menu. The photo becomes black and white. By changing the ratio of the “Red”, “Green” and “Blue” color channels, we set the optimal contrast. In our case, the value is “0,+100.0”, which allows us to make the model’s face more voluminous. The sum of the values of all color channels must be equal to 100, otherwise you will darken or lighten the entire photo.
Fast and effective way lightening or blackouts image areas at photo processing as a replacement for tools Lightening And Blackout.
I became acquainted with this method in the book by S. Kelby “Handbook for processing in Photoshop,” pp. 196-197. Here the method is presented as a replacement for Photoshop tools Dodge (Lighten) And Burn. I liked the method so much that I wrote it in the form Action, and I use it all the time. And the other day I came across a description of the same method in the magazine “Practical Photoshop” (No. 9 for 2011, p. 55), but in a slightly different vein, and - which is absolutely wonderful! — it uses exactly Dodge And Burn! To replace imperfect tools, we use these very tools!
But enough confusion, I’ll describe the method.
For darkening/lightening problem areas of the image (sky, sea, deep shadows, areas of the face - what am I listing - everyone knows about them very well) - a variety of methods are used. Levels with masks, Curves with masks, blending modes (with masks), Shadows/Lights. The above-mentioned ones are intended for local, local changes. Lighten And Dim.
So, here's an alternative.
Open the image whose areas require correction. In the main menu of the program, select Layers - New - Layer. Please note that this is exactly what you need to do - through the menu, so that a window appears, in which we will configure some parameters a little later. Or you can click on the button Create New Layer in the palette Layers, but holding down the key Alt.
In the window that appears, select the mode Overlap, and put the bird a little lower Fill with a neutral color in the “overlay” mode (gray 50%). As a result, a new layer appears above the original layer, filled with 50% gray, which in blending mode Overlap is ignored, so the image will not change at all.
Now, in the classic version (which is from Scott Kelby), select a soft brush and reduce the opacity to 25-30 percent. Pressing the keys one by one D And X, set the front color to white. We begin to move the mouse over the places that need to be brightened. If the lightening effect is not enough, we go over the area a second or third time.
To darken light areas, press D to set the foreground color to black, and move the mouse over the desired areas.
I also read this recommendation somewhere: when doing any work in Photoshop, you need to do the next operation, then squint, lean back in the chair, perhaps in a “hands on your head” pose, and after these manipulations reduce the force of influence by 10-15 percent. Laugh laugh, but I actually do this sometimes. So we have such an opportunity in the form of a general opacity gray layer.
This is where the classic method ends, and there is a reason to drink and remember the second opportunity. It is proposed to use the same tools as a brush - Lighten And Dim. What are the advantages? If a regular brush works with the same force in each movement, then this pair gradually increases its action when crawling in one place, without releasing the mouse button. When using these tools you only need to increase Opacity- up to one hundred percent. Additionally, it is necessary to clarify the range in which changes are necessary - Shadows, Backlight or Midtones. The result is a softer, more flexible and thinner instrument.
Well, as a bonus, let’s add the following to the collection of lightening/darkening methods:
At the very beginning, just add an empty layer (by clicking Create New Layer in the palette Layers), set the blending mode to Soft light. Take the same white or black brush with Opacity 30%, and perform the same steps as described. The result is softer and more moderate than the first.
In the end, I want to emphasize that all methods are very easy to write in Action.
